Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way school districts gather feedback from their communities. With the ability to quickly generate surveys, AI can help administrators save time while ensuring they capture valuable insights from parents, students, and staff. However, to maximize the effectiveness of AI-generated surveys, it’s crucial to provide clear and structured instructions. Here are a few best practices to ensure your surveys align with your district’s needs and ThoughtExchange’s platform.

1. Be Clear and Specific when instructing AI to create a survey

• Clearly state the purpose of the survey. (e.g., "create a survey to measure families' opinion on next year's afterschool programming.")
• Specify the target audience (e.g., "This survey is for parents of elementary school students.")

2. Define the Survey Structure

• Indicate the number of sections or questions.
• Mention if you need multiple-choice, Likert scale questions, open-ended, ranking questions, or a mix of questions. (e.g., "ensure the survey has a variety of question types.")
• For Likert scale questions, it will be easier to add to ThoughtExchange if the responses go from disagree to agree. (e.g., "For Likert scale questions start with negative responses to positive responses.”)

3. Specify the Tone and Complexity

• If the audience is diverse, ask for simple and clear wording. (e.g., “Use accessible language suitable for parents of all backgrounds.” or "Use grade 4 reading level.”)

4. Include Any Necessary Context

• Mention key factors the survey should address (e.g., “Focus on the impact of school start times on student performance.”)

5. Add "Use best practices in survey design"

• This will help AI to avoid writing questions with common survey design errors.
   

For example, here are a few prompts you might use when asking AI to create a survey:

• "Create a 10-question survey for parents about summer school scheduling preferences. Use a mix of multiple-choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions. Focus on start times, break schedules, and early dismissal options. Keep the language simple and clear for a diverse audience. Use best practices in survey design."
   
•  "Generate a survey for teachers to assess job satisfaction, professional development needs, and overall support from the administration. Include Likert scale questions on workload, resources, and work-life balance, plus at least two open-ended questions. Use best practices in survey design and write Likert responses from negative to positive"  
   
•  "Design a 12-question survey for students (grades 6-12) to assess their engagement in school, academic support, and overall well-being. Include rating scale questions on motivation, extracurricular participation, and mental health support, plus a free-response question about areas for improvement. Use best practices in survey design. "  
   
• "Create a survey for parents to evaluate the effectiveness of school communication and opportunities for involvement. Include multiple-choice questions on preferred communication methods (email, phone, app, etc.) and a Likert scale on school responsiveness. Add an open-ended question on how communication could be improved. Use best practices in survey design."

Conclusion

Using AI to create surveys can streamline the feedback process for districts. However, the quality of AI-generated surveys depends on how well the instructions are crafted. By clearly defining the survey’s purpose, structure, tone, and key considerations, districts can ensure that their surveys are effective, engaging, and aligned with ThoughtExchange’s platform.